Funding Week | Professional Development – Developing your creative practice funding

In our first Funding Week session of the week, we are joined by Writing West Midlands chief executive Jonathan Davidson, who will host this invaluable member only #SoAatHome professional development session on applying for DYCP funding – Developing Your Creative Practice. The Arts Council fund supports individual creative and cultural practitioners to take them to the next stage of their practice. Jonathan will be hosted by SoA Head of Membership and Author Communities, Emma Boniwell.

Applying for Round 23
Opens for applications: 24 April 2025 at midday
Closes on: 22 May 2025 at midday

Between the 19-21 May 2025, we are running a series of #SoAatHome events focusing on funding opportunities for writers in the UK.

These sessions are: 

• • 19 May | Professional Development – Developing your creative practice funding
  • 20 May | Industry Insider – Funding opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales
  • 20 May | Professional Development – The nuts and bolts of funding applications
  • 21 May | Industry Insider – Grants and funding opportunities with the Society of Authors 

#SoAatHome Professional Development events – free for SoA Members

As of Feb 2025, #SoAatHome professional development sessions will continue to be free as a member benefit. However, for non-members, the price is £35 including VAT.

Not a member, sign up here with our special #SoAatHome offer and get 20 per cent off for the first year of membership – use code SOAATHOME20.

Programme

• Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Emma Boniwell – Head of Membership & Author Communities, SoA (3 mins)
• Presentations from Jonathan Davidson (60 mins)
• Comfort break (5 mins)
• Q&A with audience (20 mins)
• Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
• This event will be moderated by Emma Boniwell, SoA.

Who is this session for?

This session is for writers interested in learning more about Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice funding stream.

What will this session cover?

This session will cover:

• Defining how you want to develop your creative practice
• How to articulate your creative development plans
• Preparing a clear and realistic budget and timeline
• Gathering evidence to strengthen your application
• Navigating the Grantium portal with confidence

Send us your questions

If you would like to send questions in advance, email EBoniwell@societyofauthors.org with ‘Developing Your Creative Practice funding’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.

#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop

Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.

The Line-up

Jonathan Davidson- Writing West Midlands | Birmingham Literature Festival

Jonathan Davidson trained in arts administration at Leicester Polytechnic in the 1980s. He has now worked in arts administration and literature development for nearly forty years. He is joint-founder of the Birmingham Literature Festival and founder and Chief Executive (part-time) of Writing West Midlands. In addition to his work as an arts administrator, he has had audio dramas and adaptations broadcast on BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Three, and his poetry has been widely published. He has also written reviews and memoir. Beyond the West Midlands he has a private practice that includes teaching poetry, mentoring and organising poetry walks.

Website: https://writingwestmidlands.org/ | Instagram: @WritingWestMids | X: @WritingWestMids

Emma Boniwell – Society of Authors

Emma rejoined the Society of Authors in 2024 as Head of Membership and Author Communities. She leads the Member Services team and works on the strategic development of membership recruitment, volunteer management, development of all author communities and membership benefits. She is the coordinator of the Society of Authors Cymru.

Email: eboniwell@societyofauthors.org

Need to know

Accessibility

• Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Before the event

• Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
• If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
• Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails

During the event

• This online event will take place on Zoom Webinar; you will not be visible on screen but will be able ask questions via the Q&A function or interact via the chat box
• This event will be recorded but you won’t be on screen
• Attendees have the option to turn on the live transcript
• This event is 90 minutes

After the event

• Hashtag for this event: #SoAatHome
• SoA Members and paid attendees of this event will be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel (password protected) or members can access via the SoA website.

Booking

SoA Members: Please use the ‘Register – SoA Members’ form below and provide your details, including your membership number. If you’re unsure of your SoA ID, please email info@societyofauthors.org.

Non-members: Choose one of the two ticket options below, complete the registration form, then fill out the billing info to finalise your payment.

For event or registration questions, email events@societyofauthors.org.

SoA Members – Free

Non-Members – £35